In general, manual can openers employ components inclusive of a rotary transport wheel and a cutting blade. Each component is arranged on separate elements of a hinged frame. In operation, the transport wheel engages the rim of a can. The frame elements are brought together to move cutting blade into the contact with the top end of the can with such pressure that the can top is pierced or pressured by cutting blade. A handle, which is attached to the rotary transport wheel, is then turned by the user's fingers supported by palm of the hand, and turn to rotate the can into the blade and, thus, cut the can top and thus form a cut lid.
With such can operators, an operating handle is provided only on one side of the transport wheel. Accordingly, when the transport wheel positions the can for cutting, the blade is capable of cutting only in one direction. Since the majority of people are right handled, such manually operated can openers have been configured so that the handle is turned readily with one's right hand. Obviously, such can openers are difficult to use with a left hand. Can openers can be made to be operated by a left hand or left-handed person. However, such left-handed operable can openers provide the same difficulty to a right-handed person that conventional can openers provide to a left-handed person.
Moreover, conventional can openers require users to turn the handle with their fingers. Such can openers are difficult or impassible to use for users who have limited motion in their fingers. These include elderly users, users with arthritis, or generally users with motor ailments that limit the use of their fingers and the palm of hand.
To overcame this problem, can openers can be operated with either hand and have been created, such as disclosed by commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,1119,352, the contents of which are incorporated herein, by users who lock the full dexterity of their fingers and the hand palm.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved can opener. There is also a need for a manually operated can opener that can be operated easily by either the left or right hand supported by the palm users who lack the full dexterity of fingers.